


Flames, Ice, and Everything Nice

by HisRedEmpress



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Badass Katsuki Yuuri, Drabble Collection, M/M, Sawada Nana and Katsuki Hiroko are sisters, Ten Years Later KHR characters, Yuuri has rain flames, Yuuri is Tsuna's Cousin, Yuuri speaks Italian, Yuuri's fighting style is hip-hop and pole dancing, au!mafia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-23 02:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10710282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisRedEmpress/pseuds/HisRedEmpress
Summary: Sure, he really shouldn’t be snooping in Yuuri’s stuff when Yuuri is just out buying them dinner down the street, but Viktor can’t help it. He wants to know everything about his beloved Yuuri.Including his apparent collection of uniquely designed compact boxes in shades of blue.And his secret addiction with clams.Viktor might not know Italian fluently, but he has been in a lot of Italian restaurants to know that the word,Vongola, engraved in Yuuri’s blue boxes is the Italian word for clams.





	1. Little Blue Boxes Aren't Supposed to Look Expensive

**Author's Note:**

> So I totally head canon that Yuuri and Tsuna are cousins, and that Yuuri used to spend his summers in the Sawada Household way back in middle school.  
> That's pretty much around the time Reborn met and started to train Tsuna, so Yuuri, being the same age and sharing the same living arrangements for 40-odd days with him, got roped into their game of Mafia, as Yamamoto would gladly put it.  
> So Yuuri totally knows about the mafia shenanigans going on, and he's a total BAMF like Tsuna.  
> Oh, I also head canon that the reason Yuuri learned English to study in Detroit, knows how to hip-hop and pole dance, and has great stamina are all because of Reborn and his spartan training.  
> All my ideas for this AU! will be written in drabble form as chapters of this fic. Tags will be updated if needed.

It was just a little box.

Nothing really out of the ordinary that would warrant Viktor to think deeply into it.

It was just a little blue box that has silver engravings on each side that looks actual silver and not those knock offs steel painted over with shiny silver paint. The engravings look so exquisite and expensive, but it still wasn’t really something that should alarm him greatly.

In fact, if it wasn’t because Viktor was such a nosy bastard who has an eye for shiny things, he wouldn’t really notice it at all.

But Viktor was a nosy bastard, and he has a sharp eye for shiny things. Of course, something as unique as this box in Yuuri’s stuff was bound to get him looking.

And touching.

And searching for more other stuff like this great little blue box that weighs heavily on his hand for something so small.

What he found was another blue box.

Still extravagant looking like the other one, but this time, it has a gold engravings to its side that formed some sort of a coat of arms that he’d find in a historical European castle of some sorts. 

That alone should really ring some alarm bells in Viktor’s mind.

Sure, he really shouldn’t be snooping in Yuuri’s stuff when Yuuri's just out buying them dinner down the street, but Viktor can’t help it. He wants to know everything about his beloved Yuuri.

And that includes his apparent collection of uniquely designed compact boxes in shades of blue that weighs heavily in his han.

And his secret addiction with clams.

Viktor might not know Italian fluently, but he has been in a lot of Italian restaurants to know that the word, _Vongola_ , engraved in Yuuri’s blue boxes is the Italian word for clams.


	2. Rings Shouldn't Ignite Like That

Viktor does not have a good short-term memory. Or long-term memory. Or memory that has nothing to do with skating, poodles, and Yuuri in general. So it wasn’t really a shock when Viktor forgets about those silly blue boxes quite easily.

He even forgot there were boxes at all if not for Yuuri playing with it on their bed in the new apartment they got when they both moved back to St. Petersburg a week ago when he was supposed to be sleeping. Viktor didn’t want Yuuri to know that he was slowly stirring back to consciousness, and Viktor would have gladly fall back into sleep if it weren’t for the intense way Yuuri was looking at the boxes in his hands. So Viktor did what anyone would do in his situation – pretend to be sleeping and try to sneak a peek without getting caught as much as possible.

It has been several minutes, and Yuuri had done nothing but just stare at the boxes. Viktor took a surreptitious glance on the bed side table right next to Yuuri’s side of the bed to see the time.

_2:49 A.M._

What was Yuuri doing with his boxes at this time, Viktor wouldn’t know.

And he was getting sleepy again, so maybe he’d fall asleep with just staring at Yuuri staring at little boxes. Viktor wasn’t used to getting interrupted sleep. He needs to sleep straight eight hours lest he gets slight headaches when he fully wakes up.

Just when Viktor was giving in to his closing eyelids, he saw Yuuri moving his right hand towards his face, a box clutched on his fist, and rings glistening from the moonlight that managed to slip through the curtains of their floor length bedroom window.

If Viktor wasn't clouded with sleep, he’d realized that Yuuri was supposed to have only one ring in his right hand – their engagement ring.

And he’d also realized that rings aren’t supposed to ignite in blue flames like what he thought he saw Yuuri’s silver ring did before he succumbed to slumber.


	3. Italian Restaurants Shouldn't Feel Like Home

They were having a dinner in an Italian restaurant personally chosen by Viktor himself for their one month of living together in St. Petersburg. Everything was going well. They were sat in a good spot, near the window, not much of other people around them. The ambience was great, very classical and Italian. Viktor was half afraid that Yuuri would feel anxious about how high class everything was considering this wasn’t really Yuuri’s scene.

But apparently Viktor was wrong, because Yuuri was most definitely not anxious or feeling he’d rather be anywhere else than here. In fact, Yuuri was most definitely what one would call _feeling at home_.

And funny thought, that.

Viktor never imagined Yuuri to be well acquainted with Italian culture to feel comfortable about it.

Only if this would apply to Yuuri’s fashion sense, then Viktor would be all over it and never question the oddity of Yuuri and Italian culture being well-blended together.

Because if there was one nationality who knows their suits and ties well, it would be the Italians.

“Viktor,” Yuuri’s inquisitive tone made Viktor blink several times to refocus his vision. “Is everything okay?”

He cleared his throat, drinking his wine to make him look less flustered than he really was. “Of course,” Viktor replied. “Why wouldn’t it be? The food is great! Did you like it, Yuuri?”

Looking at Yuuri’s frown turn upside down was one of the top things that make Viktor’s stomach churn in a good, uplifting way. “Yes, I did. Thanks for bringing me here. It’s been a while since I ate in an authentic Italian restaurant.”

Viktor felt his eyebrows going up on that. Apparently, he wasn’t wrong with his prior observation and hypothesis. Yuuri did get around the Italian culture. Maybe it’s just the food, because who doesn’t like Italian gourmet?

“When was the last time?”

“Almost a year ago, before I went back to Japan. I went to visit my cousin in Italy after I left Detroit.”

“You have a cousin in Italy?” That was the first Viktor heard about that. Mama Hiroko never mentioned having siblings, and Viktor remembered Papa Toshiya saying he was an only son.  “Like blood cousin or just cousin, cousin?”

Yuuri looked cute, scrunching up his face like that while in the middle of taking a bite of his lasagna. “How does the last one even work?” He swallowed his bite before continuing. “It’s a cousin by blood, if that’s what you mean. He’s the son of my aunt – mama’s younger sister.”

A sister of Mama Hiroko, huh. She’s not living in Hasetsu, that’s for sure. “And they’re living in Italy now? Is his father Italian?”

“Aunt Nana lives in Japan, and I’m pretty sure Uncle Iemitsu is at least a quarter Italian.” The last bit was said unsurely. “Actually, it’s not much of living in Japan, since both of them travel the world at least every other weekend.”

Travel the world every other weekend? Sure, Viktor loves travelling, and he does spend money offhandedly, but he’s not that loaded to just travel in his leisure. Plus, skating training gets in the way of that even he wants to.

“Is the guy your Aunt married that rich?”

Yuuri shrugged. “You could say that. My cousin’s _family_ is rich.”

It could be just Viktor, but the way Yuuri said the word family has so much weight to it that it might actually mean more than what Yuuri lets on. “But you’re part of his family, right? Does that statement include you?”

Yuuri smiled. It was the smile Yuuri usually gives Viktor when Viktor does something so endearing like kissing Yuuri on the ice during a live television broadcast or like getting engage outside a Spanish church in Barcelona with a singing choir just a few steps away from them.

Viktor repeated the last line of his conversion in his mind, trying to decipher what was it he said that made Yuuri smile like that.

He came up with nothing.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that.”


	4. White Hair is Not Silver Hair

They were in Moscow for a weekend, because Viktor wanted them to have a break before the Grand Prix Qualifier Rounds begin. They shouldn’t really be touring Moscow when Skate America is just around the corner, but that’s just Yakov’s opinion. Viktor rarely takes Yakov’s opinion to heart if it doesn’t have anything directly to do with his skating. Even then, Viktor just passes them through one ear and out the other.

Besides, Viktor just really wants to show Yuuri around his country, and that includes the capital city of Russia.

Yuuri did say that he never went to Russia for vacation, only for competitions.

Skating, always skating. Yuuri was so much like Viktor sometimes, it makes him smile.

So, yeah, they were in Moscow for the weekend. And at the moment, Viktor was walking down an upper-class street with Yuuri, just aimlessly strolling around without any particular destination in mind. If Viktor sees something from one of the shops that he wants to buy, they go in and check it out.

It was very much like their tour in the streets of Barcelona.

“White?” Yuuri stopped walking, and Viktor followed suit.

Viktor turned his head around, his one hand clutched in Yuuri’s hand. “Hmm?”

Yuuri squeezed his hand, his head turning behind them, eyes darting everywhere as if he was looking for something. “Did you just see someone with white hair down that candy store over there?” He raised his arm, the hand holding the shopping bags of some brands Viktor bought for Yuuri was pointing towards the candy store a couple of steps away.

“I wasn’t really looking. Was it someone you know?”

“I think so,” he answers distractedly. “I mean, you rarely see someone with white hair in the streets.”

“I have white hair. Does that make me a rare one?” Viktor pointed at himself.

Yuuri turned his head side wards to glance up at him. “You know the answer to that question." His expression was fond and exasperated at the same time. "You’re a rare specimen, Viktor Nikiforov.”

Viktor preened at that. Batting his eyelashes with his lower lip jutting outwards, Viktor places his free hand on his chest. “Yuuri thinks I’m a rare specimen. My heart just somersaulted.”

“Oh, shush,” Yuuri rolled his eyes. “And by the way, your hair is not white. It’s silver.”

Viktor ran his hand over his hair, taking a few strands and pulling it towards his eye. “Silver, really?”

“Yes, really, I’ve stared at your posters for long periods of time to know what color your hair is.”

And there Yuuri goes again, hitting Viktor with his adorableness. “I’d rather you stare at me for long periods of time than my posters though.”

Yuuri smiled cheekily at him. “Who says I don’t?”

 


	5. Foreign Languages Aren't Supposed to be a Turn On

They were at their home rink in St. Petersburg doing some laps around the rink for warm-up. Yakov and Yura were going over the technicalities of Yura’s short program for this year’s Grand Prix, so Viktor has sometime before he gets called over to skate his programs for Yakov.

It was customary for skaters to have their own music blaring on their earphones than to have it on speakers, but Viktor doesn’t need music to skate most of the time during practices. Other skaters sharing the same rink who are doing just jumps don’t really need music, so they just leave their phones on their trainer bags with their other stuff.

Viktor, on the other hand, needs no music but still needs his phone with him even on the rink.

Which is the only excuse he has phone out was in front of him - he might not need music, but he need social media. He was scrolling through his Instagram while doing said laps with Yuuri. Viktor belatedly thinks that having his eyes on his phone instead of where he is skating would not be safe, but Viktor loves to live dangerously.

That, and he doubts he’d trip on ice just because he’s not looking. It’s like walking on the mall with your phone out – it’s instinct. He would talk to Yuuri instead of doing this, but Yuuri has his earphones in, and Yuuri usually takes this time for himself, so Viktor lets him have it.

They were on their sixth lap when Yuuri’s phone started to ring.

Yuuri skidded to a halt, and Viktor stopped, too, before they both skated towards the barrier to make way for other skaters. “Let me answer this call, please.” Yuuri said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled his earphones out of his ears.

“Yes, of course.” Of course, Viktor wouldn’t say otherwise.

Yuuri murmured a soft “Thank you,” while disconnecting his earphones from his phone, and then he slid his finger across the screen to answer the call. He put it against his ear and greets the caller in English. “Hello?”

Viktor thinks it must be someone he knows from Detroit if he’s greeting in English.

“Reborn-san!” Yuuri stuttered right after hearing the caller. “ _Ciao, va tutto bene?”_

He was wrong. He was so off the mark that Viktor had to skate backwards from the sheer shock of it, because Yuuri was speaking in Italian.

Viktor might not be fluent in Italian like how he’s fluent in French, but with that tone and those words, Viktor can’t be wrong.

Yuuri was speaking in Italian.

His Yuuri was speaking in fluent Italian with authentic Italian accent.

_Yuuri. Italian._

One of Viktor’s fantasies just came true.

Good thing Yuuri was too busy talking on the phone _in Italian_ to notice Viktor’s little problem that has nothing to do with his slowly reddening cheeks and accelerated heartbeat.

Viktor was too preoccupied with his suddenly very hard problem to even try to hear what Yuuri was talking about. He knew that he wouldn’t even understand a bit of what Yuuri was saying, but he might be able to decipher the thought of the conversation with the little Italian he knows.

The call was dropped before he could attempt to eavesdrop.

Viktor rubbed his face thinking that it might erase some of the embarrassment of the visible signs of being turned on with just hearing your fiancé speak in a foreign language shown in his face.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Yuuri connected his earphone back before depositing his phone back to his back pocket. “It was a call I couldn’t miss to answer. Viktor?” Yuuri called out his name, his hand reaching out to pull his hand away from his face.

“Viktor,” Yuuri peeked under his chin, because Viktor was obviously trying very hard not to look at Yuuri directly right now. “Are you okay? You seem quite flushed. Are you having a fever?”

Viktor intercepted Yuuri’s hand that was enroute to touching his forehead. He gently encircled Yuuri’s wrist and brought his hand lower towards his check. He pressed Yuuri’s palm against his check and leaned into it.

“Viktor?”

“I didn’t know you could speak Italian. Did you learn it from Celestino?”

Yuuri flushed, his other hand fluttering on his side like a bird flapping its wing. “I…I, no…Remember the cousin I told you about?”

Viktor hummed, kissing Yuuri’s palm before letting it fall back to Yuuri’s side. “The one living in Italy, right?”

“Yes.” Yuuri stammered. “I stay with them during my summer vacations back in middle school, and he had a home tutor living with them. His tutor was teaching my cousin lots of stuff including speaking Italian, and I kind of learned alongside with him.”

“I see,” Viktor really didn’t, but he didn’t have any arguments at hand, so he didn’t really mind letting it go for now. “Is there other language you know that you haven’t told me about yet?”

If Viktor thought Yuuri was flustered earlier, he thought wrong. Yuuri became more flushed and he started to fidget a lot after Viktor asked that.

Viktor giggled. Yuuri was always too shy to brag about his talents. “I take that as yes, then?”

Yuuri bit his lip and nodded reluctantly. “Mhm, aside from this and some of the Thai I picked up from Pichit, I also know some Mandarin.”

“How about Russian?” Viktor teased.

“I know enough to not get lost, and how to say Viktor is the worst coach ever in Russian. Does that count?”

Viktor gasped, faking his hurt by drawing his eyebrows together and clenching the shirt in front of his chest tight in his right fist. “Yuuri, how could you? I’m hurt, Yuuri! I don’t know how I would ever recover from that.”

Yuuri giggled, his eyes crinkling from how much he was smiling. “Oh, you’d survive.”

And with how beautiful the sound of Yuuri’s laughter was, Viktor most definitely would.

 

 

 


	6. Pigs Aren't Supposed to Know Martial Arts

It was pure chance.

Actually, it wasn't really chance.

Anyone could come and enter the locker room they frequently stay at during breaks.

It just happened that Yuuri came to the rink early, earlier than even Viktor or Yakov (or even the skating rink personnel).

It also just happened that Yuuri has the keys to the rink, which Yakov gave him in less than a week of training under his coaching as an act of pure trust - trust that he rarely gives to his rowdy Russian skaters.

Okay, maybe it was pure chance.

In his defense though, Yuuri didn't expect that Yurio would also have the same keys, and go to the rink at the same time. He was expecting to be the only living soul in the rink at this hour. 

If he knew about it, he would have been quieter in entering the locker room or even not go at all, because he would have wanted to avoid this. 

This being, catching Yurio doing something that he most definitely wouldn't want others to see.

"Are you..." Yuuri found himself asking despite his mind saying that he should walk out _right this instance_ to avoid further mutual embarrassment on their parts. "copying the routine of the Junior Wushu World Champion?" 

"Katsudon!" Okay, Yurio screeching meant Yuuri needed to say his next words carefully, unless he'd want a kick in any part of his anatomy in the next fifteen seconds. "Know how to knock, dammit!" 

Yuuri could still see the video of a young Caucasian boy jumping mid air while delivering a high kick playing on the phone behind Yurio's back. "I didn't know you're interested in Wushu, Yurio." 

Yurio angrily turned backwards to grab his phone that was propped on top of the square table at the end of the room. "And what if I am? It's none of your business, piggy!" He fumed. 

Yuuri scratched his cheek. He hastened the straps of his ice skates bag on his shoulders before he entered the room to sit on one of the benches at the side. Yurio was still facing with his back on him, his ears were visibly red even from a far. 

"You know," Yuuri started after a long pause of silence, quietly pulling out his skates from his bag. "I'm not bragging or anything, but I do know Martial Arts."

"What?" Yurio jerked his head towards him. "Are you legit?"

Yuuri bit his lower lip, uncertain about how he was going to answer that question.

"Yeah," He squinted at his skates. He might need to buy some new laces. "I studied under one of the greatest martial artists of our time for a few years." 

"You're kidding." Yurio breathed out. He suddenly seemed breathless. "No way. Seriously? How did you even managed to do that?" 

Yuuri finished lacing his skates. He angled his body towards Yurio, before scooting backwards on the bench, patting the vacant space near him. 

It was obvious that he was asking Yurio to sit with him. Yurio, it seemed, was too mind boggled to deny the offer.

Leaving his phone still perched on the table, he walked towards the bench and straddled the other end while facing Yuuri. 

"Family connections." Yuuri offered him a smile before continuing. "My cousin has a home tutor who was friends with my master. When I lived with them during summer vacations, I didn't have any means of practicing ballet or skating, since there was no dance studio nor a skating rink in their town. My cousin's tutor introduced me to his friend to teach me martial arts. He said it was a better alternative for ballet."

"So it's legit?" Yurio asked in awe. "You're a martial artist?" 

Yuuri laughed. "It might not show, but yes. I'm saying the truth when I said I learned from the best." 

"And by best, you mean?"

"Best, as in the champion master of the top martial arts best." 

"No way!" Yurio shouted in shock. "There's only one champion and that's Master Fēng!" 

Yuuri bit his inner cheek, smiling cheekily as if he was caught red-handed doing some mischievous act, and felt no hint of guilt at being caught at all. "I call him Master Fon, though." 

Yurio's lower jaw slackened. "You're really serious about this."

"I could show you some pictures if you want?" 

Yuuri startled a bit when Yurio abruptly stood up from the bench. That was not the response he was expecting - not that he was expecting anything at all. 

Yurio stood at his place. He was looking downwards with his bangs hiding most of his face, while both of his hands are balled into fists on his sides. "...me."

Yuuri didn't catch the mumbled words the teen just said. "Come again, Yurio?"

"I said!" Yurio exclaimed, head snapping upwards with eyes set in Yuri's infamous glare. "Teach me!" 

Yurio's face screamed determination, and with the few Wushu forms Yuuri managed to see before Yurio noticed his presence, Yuuri's got an inkling to how serious the younger skater was taking this interest of his in martial arts. 

Yurio didn't even have to ask Yuuri to teach him.

He would have offered either way. 

"Of course, Yurio. Let's start with that Wushu routine you were doing earlier." Yuuri stood up, too, before walking to the center of the room where it was more spacious. He bent his lower body after getting in place, and immediately started doing some breathing exercise in coordination with some fluid hand movements. 

"Katsudon," Yurio walked towards Yuuri, and positioned in front of him. 

Yuuri had his eyes closed as he let his body get accustomed to the familiar stretch of the forms. "Hmm?"

"You're still wearing your skates." 

Yuuri froze. "Oh." 

 

 


	7. Cousins Shouldn't be Fiancé Stealers

They were all in the rink when the Grand Prix Assignments came out.  

Yurio was doing some laps with Mila, and Yakov and Georgi was busy talking about Georgi's choice of music for his programs this season at the near end of the rink.

Yuuri was in front of him doing some figure eights while he was busy scrolling down the list looking for their names.

"Oh! Look Yuuri," Viktor happily exclaimed, his eyes crinkling at the sides from smiling. "We got different assignments!" 

Yuuri paused, his eyebrows furrowing in deep though. He skated towards Viktor, peering over his shoulders to look over his phone. "Why are you happy about it? It would be more difficult for us to be together."

Viktor had to bite his lower lip from grinning so widely. Of course Yuuri would think that being assigned in different competitions would mean that Yuuri would stay in St. Petersburg while Viktor and Yakov go to wherever Viktor is assigned for the Grand Prix Series. Technically, that should be the case. It would make sense for Viktor to go with Yuuri during competitions, because he is still Yuuri's coach, but Yuuri being with Viktor during his qualifier rounds when he's not even competiting doesn't really seem practical.

But then again, Viktor was never the man who compromises just because something doesn't seem practical. 

Viktor will go with Yuuri as his coach, and Yuuri will come with Viktor and Yakov as his fiancé. That way, they won't have to suffer being separated for days. Viktor wouldn't mind paying extra for flight tickets. In fact, he doesn't really even think about finances when it comes to Yuuri and being with Yuuri. It's a waste of time. Yuuri always comes first above all things, much more round-trip tickets he can easily pay in cash.   

"Silly Yuuri," Vitkor nuzzled the top of Yuuri's head. Yuuri's hair was longer now, soon it will be past his shoulders if he won't cut it. Viktor likes Yuuri with long hair. It makes him look younger and cuter.  Actually, who is he kidding? He loves Yuuri regardless of his hair length. Besides, his Yuuri looked cute no matter what. "If you think I'd let you stay here in St. Petersburg while I go compete, then you're kidding yourself. If you're not going to watch the programs I created for you in person, then I'd rather not skate at all!"

Yuuri sighed, but it wasn't a bad sigh. It was a sigh Viktor knew Yuuri does when he finds something exasperatingly endearing. "Okay Viktor, so what did we get?"

Viktor hummed while he looked back to his phone to double-check. "I got Skate America and the NHK trophy, while you got Skate Canada and Trophée de France! We're going to Paris! And it's on your birthday, too! It's just August and I'm already this excited, Yuuri!" Viktor hugged Yuuri, still nuzzling him tight like a large dog starving for warmth and affection. 

Viktor heard the frown in Yuuri's voice, before he felt the tensing of Yuuri's shoulder. "Birthday?"

He stopped nuzzling before he untangled his arms from Yuuri's torso. He leaned back and looks at Yuuri, and Viktor was right. Yuuri was, indeed, frowning.

"Yes, your birthday. Trophée de France will be on the 27th of November until the 29th."

Yuuri's frown got deeper. "No, I didn't mean mine. I just remembered that my cousin's birthday is coming up." 

Again with this cousin of his. "The one in Italy?" Viktor's mouth set into a line. "What about his birthday?"

Yuuri fidgeted like he usually does when he's anxious about something. "It's on the 15th of October. He's turning 25."

"Oh, you were born in the same year. Is turning 25 important in his culture? What are you so worried about, Yuuri?" 

Yuuri shook his head, "No, it's not about his age." He answered. "It just so happened that his birthday is also the ten-year anniversary of his, err, inheritance?" Yuuri was unsure when he said the last part, as if he was the one asking Viktor the question and not the other way around. 

Yuuri bit his lower lip before continuing. "I might have to fly in for a few days. He'd insist that I'd be there. It's an important event after all."

Viktor's eyebrow rose. His mouth setting to a frown. He felt not good about this. "Fly in? To Italy? I'm coming with you, too!"

Okay, so maybe inviting himself to a party of a family member of his soon-to-be husband was a bit conceited of him to do so, but really, Yuuri should know that he won't allow him to go anywhere else without Viktor! 

Viktor was, ultimately and vehemently, denied. "You can't!" 

The way Yuuri said it made Viktor take a step back. He wasn't prepared for such a passionate reaction from Yuuri. Did he not want Viktor to meet his cousin?

Yuuri must have seen the hurt in his face, because no sooner than he did that, Viktor gets pulled by the hand closer to Yuuri. "Sorry Viktor, I didn't mean it that way." 

Yuuri placed Viktor's palm against his cheek. 

"Then what did you mean, Yuuri?" Yuuri's cheek felt cold to his touch even with his glove on.

Yuuri kissed his gloved palm. "It's not that I don't want you to come with me, Viktor. It's just you really can't." 

Viktor tried very hard not to whine, but he failed miserably. "And why not!" He dragged out the last word, his voice pitched higher than normal. The hurt he was feeling not even a minute ago was easily forgotten.

"Viktor, you're going to skate at Skate Canada, and it starts on the 19th of October. You can't have three international flights in just a handful of days before a competition. You'd be too jet lagged." 

Dammit! He hates it so much when Yuuri makes sense of something he didn't necessarily agree with. "But Yuuri! That means you'd leave me alone for days!" He whined some more. 

"Stop whining, Viktor." Yuuri chided fondly, the soft smile on his face showed that he wasn't miffed at all with Viktor's antics. "It's just for a few days. I'll be there with you in Canada. You just have to meet me there on the 17th. Besides, you'd be practicing on the days I'll be gone. You won't even notice my absence."

Viktor scoffed at that idea. As if he wouldn't notice Yuuri's glaring absence in his daily life, that's blasphemy! "No! I don't want this! I'm not agreeing to any of this!

"It's only for a few days, Viktor."

Viktor is a grown man, almost the age of thirty. He is above childish acts.

He should have known that he'd fail miserably at that. He pouted - petulantly, like a child not being allowed to eat another scoop of ice cream for dessert. "You can't! I won't allow you to go, Yuuri! No! Never! Nu-uh!"

"Oh my God, are you having a tantrum?" 

To make his point, Viktor stomped his skates against the ice repeatedly, causing a small shower of ice around their feet. 

"Viktor, stop!" 

"No!" 

"Viktor! If you won't stop doing that, I'd sleep with Makkachin in the guest room tonight!" 

"Okay, fine!" He did stop. Viktor didn't want to sleep alone, and knowing Yuuri, he'd pull true with his threat if ever Viktor didn't listen. 

How did they even get to this argument? Oh, Viktor remembered. It was all Yuuri's cousin's fault. That, he didn't seem to have trouble remembering.

Viktor crossed his arms against his chest and harrumphed. "You know, I haven't even met your cousin yet, and he's already starting to get on my bad books! He's stealing you away from me, Yuuri!" 

"Oh my god, Viktor. Why are you always so extra?" 

Viktor turned his nose upwards. He might be losing, argument wise, but he's not letting this one go easily.

Viktor swore that he's going to meet this mysterious cousin of Yuuri's one of these days for all this trouble he's worth.


	8. Men in Black Suits Aren't Supposed to be Shady Looking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The love I received from this universe I created has been overwhelming. Thank you very much for enjoying this as much as I am enjoying writing this! I did start this off with shorter chapters that were in the realm of this being a drabble collection, but I guess there's more plot than world building as this fic goes on with the story. I hope you don't mind if there's a sudden fluctuation with the word count! Do enjoy Viktor meeting Dino as you proceeded to this chapter! <3

It was Dino who Viktor met first.

More like, it was Dino who first barged into their lives with his throngs of shady men who wore black suits like they were extras of some goddamn gangster movie. 

It was three weeks before Skate America, and Viktor and Yuuri were coming home from practice. They were walking side by side like they usually do, skate bags on each of their shoulders, and plastics of groceries on each of their dominant hand. The skating rink was just four blocks away from their apartment, and there was a grocery store on their way home, so Yuuri made them stop over there first.

Yuuri wanted to cook them dinner, and Viktor was none too wiser to refuse.

Viktor was the first one who saw them when they turned around the corner of street leading to their apartment building.

No less than twenty men of different ages, heights and hair colors were standing outside their apartment’s right of way. Eight black cars were also lined up on both sides, making the two-lane road tighter than it usually was at this hour. Given that it wasn’t the main road, cars were still passing through this street to get to the highway, and the black cars that clearly belong to these men were making it difficult for them to pass.

To be fair, it wouldn’t have made a big deal seeing a flock of grown men outside a building wearing black suits. Some were just taking a smoke, some wearing sunglasses even if it’s almost sunset, and some were just plain talking to each other. Totally normal for a group of men in black suits.

Maybe they were just having a convention or something and had to evacuate due to reasons Viktor can’t come up with. The building next to theirs does host conventions after all.

Maybe they were on a way to a fundraiser when all their cars broke down for some inexplicable reason or extremely bad luck.

Maybe there was a shooting going for a gangster movie after all, and Viktor wasn’t just informed about it. 

“Say, Yuuri,” Viktor called out after it took him five seconds to process all that. “Did you get a memo that there’ll be a shoot outside our apartment today?”

Yuuri was busy with his phone, so he didn’t see the group of men yet. “Shoot? As in for a movie?”

“Yeah,” Viktor confirmed before stopping. He grabbed Yuuri’s free hand and pointed. “Look, a group of shady men wearing black suits are standing outside of our apartment building.”

That made Yuuri look up from his phone. He scrunched up his eyebrows while giving Viktor a funny look. “What do you mean a group of shady men?”

Viktor impatiently wiggled his pointing finger, his head nodding in front of them, urging Yuuri to look. “Look, Yuuri.”

Yuuri turned around, sighing as he said, “Viktor, stop pointing, it’s ru–”

Viktor was thankful enough that he had quick reflexes or else he wouldn’t have caught the grocery bag Yuuri dropped.

“N-no way.” Yuuri whispered, his voice trembling.

Viktor frowned as he straightened up. He turned to look at Yuuri and saw how pale and shaken up he was. Did the men in black scare Yuuri?

But before Viktor could ask if he was alright, Yuuri was already sprinting.

No, he was not running away like Viktor expected anyone would do when faced with these intimidating men. Yuuri was charging towards the shady men, so unexpected from his initial reaction upon seeing them.

“Yuuri!” Viktor shouted after him. “Yuuri, wait! Where are you going?”

“Hey!” Oh, my word, did Yuuri just call them out? What was he thinking! Was he looking for a fight? Viktor must go after him right away to save Yuuri from getting killed by those guys!

“Hey, you guys!”

He called them again!

Viktor was preparing for the worse. He knew he didn’t have the stamina, but Viktor could run fast enough to grab Yuuri and flee towards the other way. Shit, why did they have to buy so many things? Viktor having to hold three bags of heavy groceries were making it difficult for him to move. Gosh, he should call the police just in case! Where was his phone?

But before Viktor could even do either of his plans, something happened.

There was a shout.

It wasn’t from Yuuri.

It was from those men.

Those men who were clearly European, but exclaiming words in Japanese.

“ _Welcome home, Yuuri-sama_!” And then they parted, all of them lining up to both sides of the road, heads bowed down, making way for Yuuri to pass.

Well, huh.

So that happened.

_What the hell just happened._

Viktor managed to encourage his legs to function once again. He caught up to Yuuri and tapped his shoulders to get his attention. “Yuuri, what the hell is happening? Do you know these people?”

Yuuri sighed. “Please,” he groaned. “Please don’t tell me Dino-niichan is inside our apartment.”

That wasn’t the answer Viktor wanted to hear.

That wasn’t an answer to his question at all!

“Yes! Boss is waiting for you, Yuuri-sama. Please, go ahead.” One of the men in black, the one closest to them said to Yuuri, still head bowed like the rest of them.

“Dino? Boss? Yuuri, what is happening? Who are all these people?” At this point, Viktor felt he was just repeating himself, so very lost with everything.

Yuuri grabbed his wrist, his hands still clenched tight on their groceries, pulling him towards the entrance of their building. “I’ll explain it to you later.”

Yuuri was quiet on their way up to their apartment.

It wasn’t long before they reached their destination.

Yuuri opened the door, and they both stepped inside.

There were two other men waiting for them inside their apartment.

Still wearing stiff black suits and dress shoes, one had a puff of white hair on top of his head and glasses, while the other had a Mohawk. They were European looking, too. They also have that gangster theme going on.

Viktor would have been a lot more creeped out and scared to see unwanted men inside their home, who clearly broke in to their apartment, if not for Yuuri greeting them like old friends.

“Romario-san, Ivan-san, it’s been a while.” Yuuri bowed.

Viktor was left surprised once more.

It wasn’t going to take him a while to realize that was just one of the many surprises he’s going to have in that hour alone.

“Yuuri-sama,” the one with the glasses acknowledged while bowing his head down as well. “Yes, it has been a while. I’m happy to see you’re doing fine.” Viktor detected an accent in the man’s English, but it was faint for him to exactly identify what accent it was.

It was definitely European, though.

“I would love to stay and catch up, Romario-san, but I believe Dino-niichan is in our living room?”

Romario, the man with the glasses, laughed. He stepped aside, waving his hand towards their living room. “Yes, he is. Please, go ahead.”

Viktor can’t help but notice how respectful these people are with Yuuri. He would have commented on that out loud, but he was being pulled by Yuuri once again. The other man, who Viktor inferred to be Ivan, did take the groceries out of his hand when they passed through them.

Viktor would have said thanks, but everything was happening so fast, Yuuri was walking so fast, and his mind haven’t still caught up with what just happened in the last fifteen minutes. Upon entering their living room, Viktor’s eye caught three things that shouldn’t be present in their apartment.

The first thing was the black chair right in the middle of the room.

It was leather, and it was huge.

It stood out against the soft blue and purple hues of their living room like a sore thumb.

Viktor was very sure it wasn’t there when they left their apartment in the morning, and he was also sure that Yuuri didn’t buy that off the internet when he wasn’t looking.

It was fashionable, very much above Yuuri’s sense of style.

The second thing was the turtle crawling on the floor next to the chair.

Good thing they haven’t gotten Makkachin from her dog-sitter, yet, his mind supplied. He didn’t think the turtle would appreciate a three-feet poodle looming over it.

The third thing was the blonde man sitting on the leather chair. 

He was lounging on his seat like an aristocrat, legs crossed with one foot firmly planted on the ground. The blonde man was wearing cargo pants, too baggy to look regal, but he was pulling it off quite nicely. He was also wearing an olive coat over his brown shirt, its neckline full of white puffy cotton.

No black suit in this room, but the man was still in themed with the men in black suits outside.

It was the tattoo that made Viktor realized that this man was the man they kept calling boss, and Yuuri’s Dino-niisan. He had the aura of high authority around him, which supported that idea.

“Yo,” The blonde, Dino, greeted them with a smile and a wave. “Yuuri. It’s been a while.”

“Dino-niichan,” Yuuri dragged his hand, the one that wasn’t holding Viktor's wrist, through his hair. “What are you doing here?” Yuuri sounded very tired all of a sudden.

Dino laughed, leaning forward to prop his elbows on tap of his thighs, hands clasped together at his middle. “Can’t I come visit?”

“No.” Yuuri replied hastily. “Not out of the blue, you can’t.”

“Still strict as always, huh?” He gestured towards Viktor. “This is Viktor, I presume?”

Viktor might be confused as fuck, but he was still a national treasure who knows how to project himself in front of international audience and social media no matter how crazy the situation was, so he did what he did best.

“Yes,” he smiled as he broke free from Yuuri’s grasp. “Viktor Nikiforov, Yuuri’s coach and fiancé.” He walked towards Dino to offer his hand.

Dino wasn’t unkind enough not to return the handshake. He was even polite to stand while accepting it, too. “Dino Cavallone, Yuuri’s surrogate brother.”

That was one way to introduce yourself. “Surrogate brother?”

Dino just shrugged before he sat down on his throne. “I’m a family member, but it’s not a blood thing, so surrogate.” He said in a form of explanation, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, but Viktor believed it’s the least of his worries at this moment.

Yuuri, who was still standing by the door of the living room, just sighed, seemingly giving up at the situation at hand, too. “Does Tsu-chan know you’re here, Dino-niichan?”

Tsu-chan? That’s another name coming from Yuuri he didn’t know.

“Yeah, he’s aware I’m in Russia.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Yuuri muttered while walking towards the couch in front of Dino’s leather chair. He placed his skates bag next to the couch before he plopped down on it. Yuuri patted the space next to him after catching Viktor’s eyes.

Viktor, feeling tired from all the earlier commotion, removed his skates bag and placed them next to Yuuri’s while sitting down on the offered space.

“I know what you mean, and the answer to that is yes, too.”

Viktor felt Yuuri tense up beside him. “Is everyone alright?”

Dino waved right hand. Viktor eyed the ring on its middle finger.

“Nah, it’s not what you think.”

The way Yuuri visibly relaxed was so obvious. “Oh, that’s good. Is it personal then?”

Dino nodded. “I ran into some problem while conducting a business around here yesterday.” He explained. “I was hoping that you could me with it.”

Yuuri took his hand and started massaging his fingers. It was one of Yuuri’s tell when he’s worried about something. Viktor let him do as he please. “Is it urgent?”

“Kind of. I would have asked for Irie’s help, but he’s with Byakuran now. Spanner’s busy, too.”

Yet, three more names thrown that Viktor haven’t heard before.

“Oh,” Yuuri leaned on to his shoulder. “So that kind of help.”

Dino nodded, smiling at their joint hands. “Yeah, it wouldn’t take long. I’ll bring you back before dinner.”

Yuuri’s head jerked towards the blonde. It wasn’t even five seconds yet before he placed it on Viktor’s shoulder. “ _That_ urgent?”

Viktor turned to look at the blonde as well. Bringing him back? Does that mean he’s going to take Yuuri with him?

“Yes.” Dino said sheepishly. He bit his inner cheek while rubbing the back of his neck before continuing. “I know its rude for barging to your lives like this, and I’d love to say that I came to visit, but I ran into some problem while doing a business deal here in St. Petersburg, and I knew you lived in this area, Yuuri, so I came here to ask for help.”

“Business deal?” Viktor can’t help but ask.

“Family business.” Dino answered him, his face was friendly and nonchalant at the same time.

“And those people downstairs?” Viktor wanted answers to that, too.

“They’re part of the family. You can call them my subordinates if you will.”

“And they come with you whenever and wherever all the time?”

“Usually,” Dino shrugged. “Depends on the business deal I’m having. I always have Romario come with me though, regardless of where I go.”

Yuuri scoffed. “You don’t make Romario-san come with you, he needs to come with you or else you’ll do something stupid and dangerous enough to kill yourself, Dino-niichan.”

Dino laughed. “Well, there’s that, too.”

Viktor wasn’t done questioning. “And the suits?”

“Well, an Italian man should wear his best suit when working, yeah?”

No, not really, but Viktor understood what he meant.

That answered one question, too. He was right about them being European.

They were Italian.

Wait, Italian?

“You’re Italian?” He asked Dino. He didn’t wait for an answer before he turned to Yuuri to ask, “He’s Italian? Is he related with your cousin in Italy?”

Yuuri started fidgeting guiltily. He looked away from Viktor, which pretty much was an answer itself.

“Yuuri, don’t tell me you didn’t tell him about Tsuna?”

“Tsuna? The one you were just talking about?”

Dino nodded. “Sawada Tsunayoshi, Yuuri’s cousin.” He supplied. “And yes, we’re from Italy. Our families are business acquaintances.”

Now Viktor has a name to this mysterious cousin of Yuuri’s! What an accomplishment!

“Did Yuuri really not tell you about Tsuna?”

Viktor shook his head. “No, I’ve heard stories about his cousin before, but Yuuri never did give me a name. It was always ‘my cousin’ this, ‘my cousin’ that. I never bothered to ask for a name when Yuuri didn't give me one.”

Dino hummed. “That’s Yuuri for you, that’s for sure.”

Yuuri cleared his throat. “That’s enough about Tsu-chan for now. Dino-niichan, you said it was an urgent matter, right? Shouldn’t we get going already?”

“Ah, that’s right.” Dino stood up. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs, Yuuri. You don’t have to bring anything. I’ve got everything set up for you.”

Viktor and Yuuri stood up as well.

Dino extended his hand to Viktor. “It’s been a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Viktor. Yuuri talked a lot about you way back.”

Viktor smiled as he accepted Dino’s hand, happy that at least Yuuri talked about him with this side of the family. “I’m sorry I can’t say the same thing, but it was nice to meet one of Yuuri’s other relatives.”

“I’m sure I won’t be the last one you’ll meet.” The glint in Dino’s eyes said he knew something that Viktor didn’t, and Viktor’s not quite sure whether he should be worried or not. “Well, I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I’ll go on ahead. Let’s go have a drink or two when I’m in town again, yeah?”

Viktor nodded. “Sure, just give Yuuri a call and we’ll be there.”

Yuuri who was quiet the whole exchange smiled at him before nodding at this adoptive brother. “I’ll follow you soon, Dino-niichan.”

With one last nod, Dino bent down to grab the turtle who had been stationary on the floor this whole time. “I almost forgot Enzo.”

Viktor most certainly forgot about the turtle.

Right, there’s the chair, too. Was Dino going to leave his throne behind?

The two men, Romario and Ivan, entered the living room before Viktor could even voice about his concern. They gave them a nod before walking towards the leather chair and carrying it out as they left. Dino followed right behind them at a slower pace.

Huh, so that’s how it got there.

“I’m so sorry about Dino-niichan.”

Yuuri and his hands were still clasped together.

Viktor cupped Yuuri’s cheek with his left hand, his thumb caressing the skin it touched. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, _Zolotse_. I know you have your reasons for not telling me about this side of your family. I may be a ditz, but I’m perceptive enough to realize that there’s more to it than just being a mere family business, right?

Yuuri nodded, mouth frowning, and eyes threatening to spill tears.

“You’ll tell me about it when you’re ready, yes?”

Yuuri nodded again.

“Then everything’s fine. I’ll wait until you’re ready to tell me about it yourself. I still have to digest what just happened thirty minutes ago, but I’ll be okay. You don’t have to worry leaving me for a few hours.”

Yuuri sighed, leaning his body forward to rest his head on Viktor’s shoulder. “How did I get so lucky?” Yuuri’s arms snaked around him, pulling him closer for a hug. “I’m really sorry about this, Vitya. I promise I’ll be home before dinner.”

Viktor chuckled softly. “I’m the one who lucked out in this relationship, Yuuri.” He leaned his head against the top of Yuuri’s. “And don’t worry about it much, _solnyshko._ Your family needs help, and it sounded important. That must come first. I’ll get Makkachin from the dog-sitter, and then we’ll wait for you to come home. Sounds good?”

“Yes.” Yuuri murmured. “It sounds the best.”


	9. Wise Words Do Not Only Come from Old Men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all Viktor in this chapter. I just wanted to give more clarification on what's going on with his thoughts after he meet Dino and that talk he had with Yuuri at the end of the last chapter. Furthermore, this type of writing is what I had in mind when I did this universe. More drabble-ish and word vomit. Hope you'd still like it tho! Thank you so much for the love and support <3

In hindsight, Viktor wouldn't have understood what really transpired during those instances, no matter how he'd turn the words Yuuri said to him around.

He knew that was the case then, but he didn't understand _why_ it was difficult for him to get what Yuuri was saying. 

He was lacking context. 

Not that he had all the context he needed to realize what was going on, but at least, now, he knew that something was, indeed, going on. 

There was just something Yuuri wasn't telling him about his family from his mother-side. 

Viktor wouldn't pry. He understood that there were just some things that you have to keep for and to yourself for various reasons - some, more personal than not. Besides, it wasn't like knowing about it would make any difference to how he perceived Yuuri. 

Sure, it would give light to some things. Probably, he'd have more understanding to Yuuri's little quirks.

Like his fondness for cute little blue boxes (ever since Viktor saw them that one night, he kept on seeing them here and there).

Or his proficiency in foreign languages (because no matter what Yuuri was playing at, he's fluent in Russian, and Viktor has one or two waitstaff in the diner they frequent to testify against it).

Or his other ring that he keeps so close to him all the time (Yuuri was hiding it from Viktor, but keeping it inside a secret compartment of his daily jacket was not helping his case).

There was also his not-so-secret Martial Arts lessons with Yurio every morning before practice (and how could Viktor even start addressing  _that)._

Viktor knew,  _knows_ , that there are still a lot of things he doesn't know about Yuuri. 

To be fair, it hasn't even been, what? A year and half? 

Relatively speaking, their relationship was just starting to blossom. Sure, Viktor was in love with Yuuri from the get-go, but he didn't really know anything about Yuuri during that one year that he was obviously and painstakingly pining over the Japanese figure skater who took his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final banquet in a storm. During the nine months where the flame he had for Yuuri was fed, it was more of him being a coach, then a skater, then a friend before it was him flirting, courting, and then wooing Yuuri. 

It was tedious, but it worked at the end for him, so Viktor wouldn't complain much about it.

But that was the case, really. 

It's been also nine months now since they were engaged on that beautiful night in Barcelona. 

And Viktor felt that it was only these recent months when he was finally started to have taste with understanding the whole of Katsuki Yuuri. 

It was Dino's entrance in their lives yesterday that made Viktor realized this glaring truth.  

Viktor might not have a good knack for remembering things, but he was perceptive enough to notice that the conversion that transpired with the Dino and Yuuri was over glossed with details that lack the  _real_ details. 

And it was obvious, the root of that problem. 

It all had something to do with Yuuri's cousin and what he does for a living. 

Which, apparently, Yuuri has something to do with, too, but not full-time, and only in the behest of his cousin's family and family acquaintances.  

A job, something Viktor wanted to emphasize, that has nothing to do with his  _professional_ livelihood.

He doubted very much that Dino needed Yuuri's marvelous skating to help with his business problem. 

That, brings him back to the issue at hand. 

Yuuri was dropping him hints.

Only, Viktor didn't know they were hints, because he didn't know that he needed hints at the first place. 

And again, he reiterates, he was lacking context. 

Not only that, Viktor pretty much have already forgotten what Yuuri was exactly talking about those times when he didn't make a lot of sense to Viktor. He only remembers that Yuuri said something. Something, which apparently (again in hindsight) was important in understanding what Yuuri was subtlety and indirectly was trying to tell him. 

Viktor can remember some, but it's mostly how his brain paraphrased what Yuuri said, and they were very unreliable at this point.

Something about never underestimating babies, weird friends that believed in alternate universes and reincarnation, and strength of bonds forged in loyalty to what you wanted to fight for?

See, if there was no context, it wouldn't have made sense. 

But Viktor had context now, and the only context he had was  _it all has something to do with Yuuri's cousin_.

Not a big stretch, really, but then yesterday happened, and there was Dino. 

Dino. 

Dino. 

Dino. 

Dino and his weird taste in leather, his strange turtle who looked like it was waiting for something it could maul, and his throng of gangster subordinates. 

More context? Maybe.

Dino was, after all, a direct acquaintance of Yuuri's cousin (Tsuna, his mind supplied, because he finally has a name now), close enough that he was even calling himself his surrogate brother. 

Hint of the truth?  _Yes._  

Because when Yuuri got home from the work Dino commissioned him on doing, Yuuri was dead tired (more exhausted than when he was practicing jumps for six straight hours) and he was only gone for two hours, home before dinner like he promised. 

Yuuri didn't tell him what they did nor did he ask for details. 

He did say that he was willing to wait for Yuuri to tell him all about it when he was ready to tell him. 

Viktor is a selfish man. He is also impatient, and usually acts impulsively. 

He would have fought about it more if he didn't see how much it was bothering Yuuri for keeping him out of the loop about it. 

Viktor realized then and there, as he watched Yuuri snore gently against his chest while he slept through his exhaustion on their bed, that it was not a secret of Yuuri for him to share it to Viktor.

It was a secret, most likely a family secret, that only the cousin of Yuuri (Tsu-chan, Tsuna, _Sawada Tsunayoshi_ , his mind corrected) can tell him. 

Fast forward a day later, and Viktor is now back to where he started in the first place. 

He finally has context, and it was up to him to be keen enough to watch out for more hints about the truth behind this Sawada Tsunayoshi, and his secretive family business that apparently Yuuri is part of, but not quite.

Because it was either that or waiting for the man himself to personally introduce himself to Viktor. 

Seeing that Yuuri will be leaving him soon to go and celebrate Tsuna's 25th birthday in Italy (and an anniversary, his brain chided him. An anniversary to what though?), the chance of that happening anytime soon was close to zero. 

He'll take it as a challenge - a challenge about knowing all that it was about Katsuki Yuuri as the cousin of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Given these months full of surprises, Viktor knows he barely scratched the surface on that area. 

And really, at this point, he would want nothing more than to unearth what's beneath that surface. 

Viktor's not really afraid of finding out, and knowing Yuuri, that might be the reason why he haven't told Viktor about it yet. 

Sure, he might be surprised, but Yuuri should really realize this at this point. 

Viktor loves surprises - he lives for surprises. 

What more if it was a surprise coming from Yuuri? 

And if that surprise has something to do with the Yuuri he didn't know yet, so be it. 

He can assure that it would be positive, and it would be along the line of loving Yuuri and all of his no matter what it might be. 

That's all there was to it, no questions asked. 


	10. Not All Monsters Have Green Eyes

Vitya's mood was clear as his vision whenever he bothers to wear his prescribed glasses - the world seemed sharper, and details were easily noticed by the eye. That's akin to the current situation of his no-good student. His telltale signs of severe frazzled annoyance and bad mood were glaring to anyone who managed to glance towards Russia's living legend. It showed in the way his eyes were dead set and almost scorching when it stared at anything stationary and in motion around him, the way his shoulders would slump and then straighten out as if trying to intimidate an invisible force, and the way his jaw would tick once or twice as if he was chewing hard rocks.

It took some time under constant training of such flamboyant student when Yakov finally understood how Vitya works. He learned that whenever Vitya has his episodes of "waking up on the wrong side of the bed", the more calm and steady his being was, the higher the degree of negativity around his person is. Meaning, the higher the chance of Vitya doing whatever he wanted and disregarding anything that he tells him.

Usually, okay, most of the time, Yakov would have shouted then and there to keep some of Vitya's sense in tact. It was, after all, a few minutes away before Vitya has to go on ice. He needed to be in the right mindset, and get serious, because it was a serious event. (It  _is,_ Vitya, you can't qualify for the Grand Prix finals if you don't do well in the qualifying events!) 

But then again, Vitya did have the tendency to perform excellently whenever his bad mood hits below zero. So maybe Yakov would leave him like that, sulking but at the same time pissed. Sure, his mood doesn't quite fit his theme for the season, but presentation weren't really Viktor's strong suit. All that anger will boost his jump, and will make a good cushion for his landing. Vitya will just have to get a perfect score with the technical components. 

He'd manage. 

* * *

No one Viktor was familiar enough to call a friend had Skate America, too. 

It was fine, Viktor was fine. He was a bit bummed out when he saw the list, but it was easy to shrug off.

After all, Yuuri was with him.

Well, he was supposed to be with him, but he had to go to Italy for reasons he didn't want to reiterate to himself after doing so, several times. 

It didn't bother him at first. They talked, and they agreed that Yuuri will leave their respective countries at the same day, so at least, Viktor and Yuuri would have the night together before the Short Program. Viktor needed that night - he didn't see Yuuri for days, he needed to recharge, dammit. 

Things started to go wrong at that point. 

A few hours after landing in New York, and after checking-in at the ISU provided hotel, Viktor received a call from Yuuri. 

Yuuri missed his flight, and he will have to fly in tomorrow morning instead. 

Viktor didn't even have the energy to ask  _how_ Yuuri missed his flight. His mood was rapidly going downhill as the call went on. 

In the end, Viktor and Yuuri hanged up with an 'I'm sorry' and 'It's okay' and mutual 'I love you'. 

Viktor, after taking a bath, went right ahead to sleep all of it off. 

The next day, bright and early in the morning for the morning practice, Viktor was marginally in a better mood than how he was before he slept. He woke up with a text from Yuuri that said that he was already boarding and he will be in the Herb Brooks Arena as soon as he'd check-in. He'll be just in time for Viktor to go on ice for his short program. 

That's the thing. That's the exact moment where Viktor's bad mood of last night showed itself once more, and back with vengeance. 

No, Yuuri wasn't late for Viktor's performance. He was right on time. Viktor saw him sitting at the front row of the block that was right in front of the skater's entrance when the fourth skater went out for his turn. The problem was with who Yuuri was sitting with, waiting for Viktor's turn to watch. 

Yuuri was sitting with a man Viktor didn't know for the life of his. 

And he knew that the man, tall and tanned with dark hair like Yuuri's, was with Yuuri with how close they were sitting together and with the way they were talking to each other, smiles etched on their faces as they conversed. 

Yuuri didn't say anything about bringing anyone in his message. 

A little heads up like  _'By the way, Viktor, love of my life, I am bringing a man with me to watch you skate. Davai!'_ would be appreciated by Viktor very much, but no. He had to be blindsided like this. 

Now, Viktor is an adult. He's mature, and way past baseless anger like Yurio's default response to any stimuli. 

Viktor is an adult, almost thirty years old, but he is still just like any other committed man - he's easily prone to jealousy. 

And Viktor isn't used to being jealous.

He is used to being the reason for other's jealousy, and not the other way around. 

But ever since Yuuri, Viktor learned a lot of new stuff about himself; some of which aren't pretty, but most of it are, for its novelty. 

One thing that fitted the former was this: his newfound, easy to rile up, green-eyed monster. 

"Vitya," Yakov's voice sliced through his musings. "It's time." 

Viktor rubbed his face, exhaling a great amount of air as he did. "Is it, really."  

"I don't really know what brought this on," Yakov started. 

Viktor thought that was a lie. Yakov was with him when he saw Yuuri and that man up in the bleachers. He instantly chortled off his theories on who that man can be before the angry jealousy set in then he became silent and serious, bad mood settling in like a second skin. 

 "And I don't really want to meddle with your relationship with Katsuki nor do I want to talk about it at any point of my remaining life," Yakov continued.

So he did know what Viktor was on about. Of course, he would. 

"But I believe that you're stupid if you really think that Katsuki would do any form of cheating with how much he loves you." 

Wait, what? "What?" 

Yakov sighed, face grim as if he was forced to eat something foul. "Isn't that the reason for your-" Yakov gestured to all of him, seemingly losing words to describe the current state of Viktor, "because of the man Katsuki's with?"

"I mean, yeah," Viktor confirmed hastily. "But I wasn't thinking that Yuuri's cheating on me, Yakov! Yuuri would never! I would never! We would never do that to one another, that's crazy!" He was frantic at the end, the thought of cheating and Yuuri was so absurd that Viktor's mind was starting to short circuit.

"Then what are you so angry about!" Yakov shouted, less asked. 

"I'm jealous!" Viktor finally admitted out loud. "I'm jealous, Yakov! I haven't seen my Yuuri for days, and suddenly he shows up with some guy, who's clearly just a friend because Yuuri would never have an affair and show up with the other party in an event where we were supposed to meet, Yuuri's not stupid, but that's not really the point! I'm jealous that I'm here and he's there, and I just miss my Yuuri, okay? I'm frazzled that he's not here with me when he's supposed to be here, close to me!" 

Viktor heaved after getting all of that out of his chest. 

Yakov stood silently, stone-faced after being bombarded with Viktor's onslaught of feelings. "As a coach," Yakov started slowly. "I should really look at the co-dependency that started between you and Katsuki, but we don't have the time for that right now."

And they really don't. Viktor can hear his name being called by one of the ISU facilitators.

He was up next. 

* * *

It took longer than he would have liked, but the short program finally ended. As expected, he came first in the rankings, meaning he would skate the last a day after tomorrow for the free program. 

Viktor's score for the presentation wasn't as high as it was supposed to be, but his technical scores easily pulled through. He jumped higher and cleaner, his self-inflicted worries fueling his take-off. 

That was good in itself, but Viktor didn't want to focus on his short program anymore. 

He wanted to focus on going to Yuuri as fast as possible. He already received a text from Yuuri that said he was waiting for him to outside. He didn't mention about the man Viktor saw him with, but Viktor didn't really mind that. He'd get his answer soon enough. 

He would already be there, meeting him outside the designated exit of the skaters' area if only these reporters will stop interviewing him! 

It took him three more questions, before the interview ceased. 

After delegating his things to Yakov, and a few mindless nods to Yakov's instructions (he wasn't really paying attention to any of what was said), Viktor can finally see Yuuri. 

Yuuri, who was standing at the end of the hall, a soft smile waiting for Viktor.

Yuuri, who was opening his arms wide.

Yuuri, who was hugging him, warm and tight. 

"Yuuri," Viktor cried, arms tightening. "Yuuri,  _Z_ _olotse_ , I missed you so much."

Viktor can feel Yuuri's kisses on his cheek. "I'm here, I'm back, Viktor. I'm so sorry for leaving you alone for days." 

Viktor shook his head, arms still tightly wrapped around Yuuri's torso. "It doesn't matter now. I'm just glad you're back." 

Yuuri was the first one to let go. "I'm so proud of you. You did so great with your short program, Viktor."

Viktor shrugged, his eyes wet with unspilled tears. "It could have been better." It really could, if Viktor was in a better mood to actually mind his presentation.

Speaking of which, "Say Yuuri," Viktor bit his lower lip, hands cupping Yuuri's cheek. 

"Hmm?" Yuuri leaned his face on his palm. 

"I saw you earlier on the bleachers," he said. "You were with a man?" He meant that as a statement, but it turned out as a question instead. 

Yuuri opened his eyes, his head jerking away from Viktor's hand. He didn't notice that Yuuri closed his eyes. 

"Oh!" Yuuri gasped. "Shoot! I forgot I left Takeshi-kun outside!"

"Takeshi-kun?" So that was the man's name. "Who's that, Yuuri?"

Yuuri fixed his glasses, pushing it upwards. "Yamamoto Takeshi, he's a friend of mine." 

Yuuri grabbed his hand and intertwined them together, his head jerking to the exit. "He came with me from Italy." 

Viktor easily caught up with Yuuri's pace as they headed towards the exit. "Italy? Was he invited to your cousin's party, too?"

Yuuri nodded. "Yes, of course. He's my cousin's left-hand man." 

Left-hand man? "In your cousin's family business?"

"Yes." 

"Like Dino-san's family business?" 

"Yes." 

"Oh." 

Yuuri looked over at his shoulders, his eyes meeting Viktor's. 

Viktor looked back, eyes equally staring. A silent moment passed between the two of them. 

"Well," Viktor was the first to break the silence. "If he's anything like Dino-san, I'd love to meet him." 

The smile Yuuri gave him after that was enough to lift Viktor's mood up to great heights.

* * *

Yamamoto Takeshi wasn't the man Viktor expected him to be. 

But he only had Dino-san as a comparison, and Dino-san was on a league of his own, really. 

Of course, Viktor should know he wouldn't get the same expectations. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Viktor meets Yamamoto!


	11. Not All Can be Washed Away by the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry if this came out late. I am alive. I am here. I don't have any excuses aside from TriSem, Engineering and College. OTL  
> Not proofread , but I had to write this now before I am eaten by the system again. Will go over it when I get a breather promise! Thanks for staying with me <3

They got out of the stadium stealthily. They didn't even use the main exit.

Instead, Yuuri lead him to the fire exit. 

Viktor doesn't even know how Yuuri was familiar enough with the stadium to know exactly where the fire exits are and how to get there without looking at any signs, but he didn't mull so much over that fact. He'll just chalk it up to the mysteries of Katsuki Yuuri. 

When Yuuri said he left his friend outside, Viktor was thinking along the lines of outside the front. After all, that's the usual way of exiting, right? Sure, Viktor will get mobbed by reporters and fans alike, but that's why they have guards there, right?

But no. Yuuri was still leading him towards the fire exit. 

Why do they have to take a very secretive way out? 

* * *

Viktor believes that first impressions are very, very important. 

He made a mistake once, with Yuuri's first impression of him. (He's still beating himself up over it, really. Commemorative photo? Talk about being so conceited.) 

He plans not to do the same thing with Yuuri's friends. 

He really, really does. 

"Woah, that's an awesome scar!" 

 _Fuck._ He desperately needs a mouth to brain filter. And just when he resolved not to embarrass himself in front of Yuuri's mutual friends with his cousin, he just had to compliment the man about the scar on his face. Really, nice going, Viktor. 

"Oh! Thank you! You got an awesome hair, too!" 

Oh? So he didn't screw that up yet? "Thank you." Viktor stuttered his reply. He's visibly lost at how he managed to salvage that conversation. He was so sure that it was going downhill just a second ago. 

"Viktor," Yuuri sighed, hand covering half of his face. "This is Yamamoto Takeshi, Tsuna's left-hand man and one of his closest friends." 

"Yo!" The man with the scar on the lower right of his chin grinned while doing a finger salute. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the Viktor Nikiforov. Yuuri had a lot to say about you, growing up."  

Really now. "Eh? Is that so?" Viktor glanced towards Yuuri, who was clearly embarrassed beside him. 

"Yeah," The man laughed. "He was crazy about you back in middle school." 

It wasn't anything new. Viktor heard about how much Yuuri admired him when he was young, but it doesn't mean hearing it again doesn't flatter him all over again. 

"And that's enough of that already, Takeshi-kun," Yuuri pouted, pushing both Yuuri and Viktor towards the exit of the alley. "Let's go back to the hotel, and I'll order some food for us when we get there, okay?"

Viktor shrugged, still feeling elated from the praise. He wasn't that hungry, but a meal sounds good. 

The man on the other side of Yuuri just laughed once more. "That's right, we have a plenty of time to talk, yeah?"

Right. 

* * *

 Viktor knew that something like this was bound to happen.

It was because he didn’t get much when the news of their engagement spread. A few ‘if you hurt Yuuri, we’ll blah blah blah you’ from Yuuri’s close friends and family back in Hasetsu and several ‘Yuuri doesn’t deserve you, yadi-yadi-ya’ from some fans of Viktor, and that was that. 

There was no more other than that when it came to people having an input about their relationship or about Yuuri and Viktor respectively from each of their side of family and friends.

Viktor, dare say, was a bit disappointed.

He wanted some more drama and theatrics, but alas, he doesn’t always get what he wants (no matter what Yurio and Chris will argue with that, he doesn’t).

So yeah, he wanted it, the dramatic talks you get from your in-laws.

Those were supposed to happen, and he expected it. Although, admittedly, that expectation waned over time, but it was still there.

What he didn’t expect was that to happen with Yuuri’s cousin’s left-hand man.

The moment Yuuri left them to get some food, and they were both seated on the couches of their hotel room, the awkwardness made itself known.

Viktor was, completely and unwantedly, under-dressed compared to the man sitting in front of him.

Yamamoto Takeshi was donned with freshly-pressed black suit (obviously a tailored, branded one), a dark blue dress shirt beneath, and a black tie to complete his outfit. Viktor can vaguely recall Dino-san’s men wearing the same attire, but something about how Yamamoto wears his was different.

Yuuri did say that he was his cousin’s left-hand man. Maybe it was because of the difference in their status? If Dino-san was telling the truth, and they ran the same business as Yuuri’s cousin, then they might have a dress code depending on how high up you are in the hierarchy of the business.

Honestly, Viktor was lost in regards to that, but if there was one thing he’s clear about, Italians (well, if you’re living in Italy because of work then that makes you _kind of_ Italian, right? Right) know how to pick their suits well.

“Err,” Viktor started. He was still thinking about what to say to have this blatant awkwardness end. “How do you want to be addressed? Yamamoto-san?” Yeah, names, that’s a good way to start a conversation, right? Right. Vitkor really has to stop questioning and then answering himself. 

Yamamoto had a smile on his face, a kind of smile that wasn’t forced and strained, but at the same time it wasn’t effortless. “You can call me anything you want. Yamamoto will do though. You’re older than me after all.”

Yamamoto it was then. “Okay, Yamamoto,” he returned the smile. “You can call me Viktor. That’s what everyone calls me.”

Yamamoto leaned forwards, legs spread wide, propping his elbow on top of both his legs with hands linked together. “Mhm, I’ll do that. I’ve called you Viktor in my head all this time, too.”

Viktor perked his head. “Oh,” he breathed questioningly. “All this time? Oh, you did say that Yuuri used to talk about when you were in middle school.”

“Yup,” Yamamoto grinned. “Did Yuuri ever tell you about the summers he lived with Tsuna?”

“Yuuri only mentioned it in passing.” He answered. “About living with Tsuna and learning from his tutor with him. I heard he learned to do martial arts, too, as substitute for ballet.”

Yamamoto nodded. “Yuuri stayed in Namimori every summer during our middle school days. It was less frequent when we got into high school because of his Junior competitions, but he still visits us for weeks when he can.”

“Yeah, that was what I’ve heard.”

“Yuuri was obsessed with you. I believe you’ve heard about that, too.”

Yamamoto laughed when Viktor’s cheeks flared red. Viktor coughed. “Yeah, I’ve heard about that once or twice.” The flattery still gets him every time.

“Yuuri will never miss to talk about you whenever we train. He loves your skating too much. I was thoroughly educated about you because of Yuuri.”

Viktor wasn’t easily flustered, he wanted that to be said. But then again, hearing about how much Yuuri was devoted to him during his teenage years from someone who’s practically a stranger no matter the familial connections he has with Yuuri was very embarrassing for Viktor.

“Training?”

If Yamamoto noticed the obvious change of topic, he didn’t comment on it. “We train from time to time.”

“What kind of training? Martial arts?”

Yamamoto stared at him right in the eye, as if he was looking for something from Viktor, before he answered. “No, that’s not really my style. I’m a swordsman, we train in sword fighting.”

“Oh.” Viktor breathed, seemingly lost for a second. Yamamoto didn't look like someone who uses a sword. Viktor would have thought he's an athlete with his build. Is sword fighting a sport? Or was that fencing? “I didn’t know Yuuri knew how to use a sword.”

Yamamoto laughed, his eyes closed and cheek well pressed against his palm. “Well, I reckon there’s a lot of things you don’t know about Yuuri, yet.”

“Is that so?” Viktor's eyebrow rose to that apparent challenge. 

“Say, Viktor," Any trace of laughter left Yamamoto's face. His eyes were glinting in this dim light of their hotel room. "What do you know about the sky?”

That wasn't what Viktor expected to come from Yamamoto, but Viktor was getting a lot of unexpected things tonight. He should just shrug this and go with it. “Sky? As in the sky above us, sky?”

Yamamoto nodded. “Yeah, do you know the things that the sky possesses?”

Again, what a very random question to ask. “What? Like the sun, clouds, stars?”

“Sort of. The sky has six guardians, have you ever heard about them?”

Viktor scratched his cheek with one finger. “I...I can’t say I have.”

Yamamoto hummed against his hand before continuing. “The sky has six guardians. There’s the thunder, the sun, the mist, the cloud, the storm, and the rain. They all belong to one sky and protect them.”

“Right.” Guardians, what a peculiar word to use for inanimate objects of the sky. 

“If Yuuri was a guardian of the sky, what do you think will he be?”

Now he mentions Yuuri? And what was the question again? Shoot, Viktor should take this conversion more seriously. “Err, from those six?”

“Yes.”

“A sun, maybe? I always call him my little sun.”

“Sun, huh." Yamamoto leaned back, his back hitting the sofa. He cocked his head to the side and asked, "What do you think I am?”

Viktor was thoroughly lost with where this conversation was going. Were they still talking about the sky? Honestly, he doesn't have a clue anymore.

“Uhm, I don’t really know.” Viktor admitted, eyes darting to the side to avoid looking at the person sitting so seriously yet so carefree in front of him. 

“I’m a rain.”

“Ahh.”

“Yuuri’s a rain, too.”

“Oh.”

Giving just a sound for an answer doesn't seem politely for someone like Viktor, but who can blame him. What was he supposed to say to that? 

“Say Viktor," Hearing his name come out from Yamamoto startled him away from his uncomfortable thoughts. "What do you think you are?”

“Me?” Viktor leaned back, eyes blinking rapidly. Now, they're talking about him? 

“Yeah, from the six guardians of the sky, what are you?”

“I’ve always wanted to be a cloud...”

“Really? I think you’re more suited to be a mist.”

“Huh.” Mist? What was mist again? Isn't that just fog? What is even the difference between fog and mist? Was there a difference in the first place? And Viktor was supposed to be a mist? How come? 

“Yup, I believe you’re more of the mist type.”

There's just too much to question, and Viktor doesn't even know where to start looking for answers. “I’m sorry, Yamamoto, but I believe you’ve lost me.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. I guess I’ve just bombarded you with this, huh?”

Viktor shrugged, an apologetic smile plastered weakly on his face. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to hear about it. I just don’t know how it relates to me and Yuuri?” Because that's where this conversation was supposed to go, right? This was supposed to be that kind of dramatic conversation between a lover and the in-laws. In Yamamoto's case, the lover and the cousin-in-law's left-hand man. 

“There’s a game we played when we were kids," Yamamoto started, voice soft and light, like he was remembering something from the past. "I call it the mafia game. Tsuna was our boss, our sky, and the rest of us are his guardians. I was Tsuna’s rain.”

That one was easy to understand - easy to follow up. “If Yuuri’s a rain, too, what about him?”

Yamamoto smiled at him like he said something right for once. “He’s still a rain, but he has no sky. Not yet, at least." 

“Okay, I get that, I think. So what does the rain guardian of the sky do?”

“What do you think?” Yamamoto smiled wider. He was clearly enjoying their conversation. 

"It showers on nature?" 

Yamamoto snickered, eyes crinkling at its sides. “Quite close. Rain tranquilizes. It washes away the worries of those around him, especially, his sky.”

Viktor nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. You're linking them with personalities, yes?"

"Basically, that's how it goes." Yamamoto confirmed. 

"Now that you say that," Viktor said, shoulders loosening its stiffness. The tunnel that is their conversation was a bit lighted now. "I can see how Yuuri is a rain, like you said. I do feel the calmest when I'm with him." 

"Is that so?" Yamamoto tapped his finger on his knees. "That's good I guess." 

How long have they been talking already? Yuuri should be coming back anytime soon. The dinner he went to wasn't that far from the hotel.

"Yamamoto?" Viktor called after he decided that too much guessing will not do him any good. Better ask now before he losses the chance when Yuuri gets back. "Can I ask why you're telling me this?" 

"Because it's better for me to have this talk with you."

That - that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "As opposed to who?"

"The others. I'm closest to Yuuri aside from Tsuna, and I believe it's for the best. Having the others as your first impression of us will make Yuuri hate us a bit." 

"Oh," Realization dawned on him. "You mean the other, uhm, guardians of Tsuna?"

Yamamoto snapped his finger, grin never leaving his face. "Got that right! Glad to see you were listening to me." 

"So you're here because I had to have this talk with any of you, and you're the best choice?" Viktor wanted to clarify on that. If Yamamoto is Tsuna's rain, then there were five more other candidates (barring Tsuna of course, Viktor feels he'd meet the man when the right time comes) that could be here in front of him instead of Yamamoto. That five other candidates being the five remaining guardians of the sky - what were they again? Yamamoto said he was a mist, there was a cloud, too, right? Mist, cloud, and sun? Maybe? He's missing two. 

"That," Yamamoto agreed. "And I really have some business to do around here, but it's nothing urgent. I don't have to be there, yet." 

"Does that mean that the other guardians are not friends with Yuuri?" 

Yamamoto waved his hand, "No, no! We're friends, we all are. It's just, having the same flame, I mean, being the same element of the sky makes us know each other the best. We understand each other better than the others can. That was what made Yuuri and I close. We know and understand our insecurities better than others could." 

Yamamoto was visibly flustered after his explanation. Viktor noticed the slip there, and he knew that it was something Yamamoto shouldn't have said. If Viktor met him a month before, he wouldn't have a second thought about that. But ever since knowing that he should be collecting context clues and hints from Yuuri and anything (or anyone) to do with Yuuri, that slip earlier was evidently something he should really not forget and shrug off. Viktor won't let Yamamoto know that he caught on that, though. 

Yamamoto sighed, his smile looked weaker than it was just a second ago. "Having that said, I guess this is where I deliver the next part of this talk."

Viktor's eyebrows rose. "Next part?"

"Yeah, the hurt Yuuri and we'll make your life a living hell part."

Oh, the talk he's been waiting this whole time! The nature of the talk should at least make Viktor uncomfortable, but he's been expecting this talk to come for ages, he's too giddy with excitement to school his facial expression to a serious one. 

"Are you ready for it?" Yamamoto asked bemusedly, taking note of how much Viktor was fidgeting in his seat with eyes sparkling and lips clamped together.

Was Viktor ready for it? He's been ready for it since last year! 

But let him tone it done for a bit, this is serious talk, serious. "Yes." He coughed. 

"We, Rain, we appease others the most. We wash away the worries of those around us very easily, but we suck when we have to wash away  _our_ worries. Yuuri might be the one who can calm you the most, Viktor, but Yuuri is least person who is really calm. There's just too much going on in his head. That's generally the problem we have. We overthink, we're easily anxious, but we try not to show it to others. We can calm others, but we can't calm ourselves. You get me?" 

Viktor sobered quickly with the solemnity of Yamamoto's words. It was nothing new - hearing about Yuuri's anxiety. But this is the first time he heard it in this kind of perspective. "I do." 

"I was worse than how Yuuri is now before. I was the destructive kind of anxious person. I try my best to not worry anyone around me, but end up worrying them the most because of how I express my anxiety. I was in a bad place, but because of Tsuna, everything got better. That's how he is - that's how the sky is. It harmonizes.

"And Yuuri doesn't have one. He doesn't have a sky who can anchor those worries. Being the same as him, as Rain, I was the closest he got as an anchor. But I was not a sky, I cannot do what Tsuna did for me to Yuuri. Tsuna can't either, not to that extent, because he already has me. Remember when I said you're a mist? You can't be that for Yuuri, too. It's not in your nature."

Viktor knows, he knew, that all of these were just metaphors. They are supposed to be metaphors, right? He's lacking context again. Context, context, context. What do those words really mean? Yuuri needs a sky, that he understands. What is a rain without a sky after all. He gets what Yamamoto was saying. Yuuri needed a sky, and apparently, by their standards, it's not him; it can never be him. 

 _I'm not enough for Yuuri_. Is that what they're trying to say?

"Don't look so down. I'm not saying we don't like you for Yuuri." 

Yamamoto might notice the frown he knows he had on his face. His early onset giddiness evaporated with how the line of this next part of the talk, as Yamamoto put it, deviated from what he wanted once again. "But you're just implying that I can never be enough for him, because I'm not what he needs."

Yamamoto shrugged, apologetically. "That's unavoidable. Yuuri's a great rain, as I've said. A will as strong as his needs someone to harmonize with. It would be a different scenario if that wasn't the case, but that's how it is. But, really, that's not what I'm aiming at." Yamamoto tried to offer him a smile to placate his growing worries.

Viktor can't say it helped. 

Yamamoto heaved, scratching his head. "I'm going about this the wrong way. Sure, you're not a sky, but you're closer to what Tsuna and I can't be for him. What you do is construct, you create a world that both of you enjoy the most. That's why you're skating is so good, Viktor. What I am trying to say is, you might not be what Yuuri needs as a rain, but you're what makes Yuuri happy the most, and that's enough for us to give you our blessing. Tsuna wanted me to be very clear on that." 

Viktor blinks, a warm feeling slowly blossoming in his chest. "Is this the part where you should say that you're happy for the both of us?"

"Yes," Yamamoto's face relaxed, his carefree smile slowly set back. "Tsuna, and the rest of the family, wants to extend our blessing to you. Treat me as their delegate, if you will." 

Tears trickled down Viktor's face on their own accord. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" He sniffed. "You have me so confused with so much metaphors about Tsuna and sky and guardians and rain and more words, and it's not making a whole lot of sense to me, but I get you." 

Yamamoto laughed at his whining. He took his handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Viktor. "I'm sorry about that, but it would make sense in the future. I promise."

Viktor, not because of a childish streak, of course, blew his nose on Yamamoto's handkerchief right after he took it from him. "I didn't hear any threats to that part of the talk, you know." 

Because he might have mixed feelings at the moment, and the sudden change from great excitement to great sorrow should really alert him of his psychological state, but that's a problem Viktor will care about some other time. He still wants his expectations to be answered. That wasn't so hard to ask. 

"Right," Yamamoto rubbed the back of his neck. "I screwed that up. Okay, here it goes!" 

Yamamoto coughed, once, twice. "Mr. Nikiforov," He started as seriously as he could, his eyes sharp and posture set to intimidate. "We care about Yuuri very dearly and we consider him as a great part of our family. Do anything that would make him unhappy, and your blood will be showered upon as rain in the streets of Italy by the _Vongola_." 

There it was! Finally! Viktor wasn't sure why or how a clam can make his blood rain, but sure why not. He was threatened by the in-laws! His expectations has been met! Yay!

"I'd offer myself up if ever I do."

Yamamoto must find his answer satisfying, because he's whole demeanor change instantly. "I hope I delivered that well." 

Viktor smiled. "Yes, you did, apart for that last bit about cla-" 

He didn't get to finish what he was saying because he got cut off by the door opening loudly. "Oh my god, why did I ever suggest to get take out from a Chinese restaurant during a Friday night in New York?" 

Yuuri came barging in, two sets of white plastics with a logo in front of it on both hands. He's shoulders were slumped and his clothes were rumpled. "I swear, I think I just survived a stampede from a mob." 

Viktor and Yamamoto looked at each other before they both burst out laughing. Viktor's unsaid sentence was easily forgotten in the air.

* * *

Yuuri jolted from their noise, eyes scrunching as he looked from one man to the other. "Why are you both laughing? What's so funny? Did I miss anything?" He turned to look over his shoulder to see if someone was behind to prompt their laughter.

There was no one. 

"What's so funny, you guys?" Yuuri asked as he stomped inside the room, making sure to shut the door close with his foot, before placing the food he bought on the table in the middle of Viktor and Yamamoto. 

Yuuri pouted when he didn't get an answer and just more laughter. 

Seriously, he was just gone for a few minutes and he's back with two laughing athletes. 

Yuuri sat beside Viktor, and Viktor immediately encircled him with his arm, pulling Yuuri closer to him as he continued to laugh with Takeshi. 

It was hard to stop himself from joining in. Their laughter was very contagious. 

Yuuri was tired from buying take out, okay. Gosh, why did he even suggest that instead of calling for a delivery? 

And these two are still laughing, great. Yuuri sighed as he snuggled deeper into the hug. 

Yuuri might not like being left out from a joke like that, but he's happy that Viktor and Yamamoto were getting along. 

A giggle escaped him, but good thing Viktor was hugging him tight against his chest. 

Viktor and Takeshi can have their laughing bout without his input for now.  


	12. Not all Choices are Chosen

After winning gold at Skate America, Viktor and Yuuri were back home for a short rest before the next qualifying rounds of the Grand Prix Series.  

They'd be back to North America in a few days for Yuuri's qualifiers at Skate Canada. 

Viktor and Yuuri had the day off. They planned to spend it lazing around their apartment, watching cheesy western romantic comedy movies and playing board games when the movies get to boring. 

They don't plan to step foot out of their apartment at all.

Viktor was currently seating on the left side of the couch, while Yuuri lied down beside him, his foot propped on the other end, head on top of his lap. 

Viktor loved days like this - them just spending time together in leisure after a win, his hand softly running through Yuuri's soft hair with, and Makkachin rubbing his furry back on his pajama clothed legs. 

It was so peacefully domestic, it made Viktor's chest overflow with warmth. 

They were both quiet, watching the movie as it reaches its resolution for the main conflict for the main characters. It wasn't until the lead male character takes a sword and fights the lead female character's would-be kidnappers, when Viktor remembered Yamamoto saying that he and Yuuri trained in sword fighting. 

"Yuuri," Viktor called out casually, hands still combing through Yuuri's hair. 

Yuuri hummed in acknowledgement, eyes never leaving their flat-screen television.  

"Yamamoto said you train in sword fighting," he said, voice going up as he finished, making it seem he was asking instead of stating the fact. 

He got another acknowledgment hum from Yuuri, "Takeshi-kun's a swordsman." He shared, as if that alone explains a lot (which Viktor would like to point out in his head that it doesn't). "He's also a baseball player." He added absentmindedly. 

Ahh, that explained Yamamoto's athletic figure. "Does he play ball professionally?"

Yuuri shook his head, burrowing further on Vitkor stomach. "Nah, he preferred to stay with Tsuna. He still plays, when he has time." 

Viktor's eye burrowed. "Can't he play ball and stay with Tsuna at the same time?"

Yuuri hummed, eyes trained on the fight scene playing in front of him. He was quiet for some time that Viktor thought that Yuuri didn't process his question. 

Viktor was about to call out to Yuuri when he said, "Sometimes, there are circumstances when a person must choose between two important things in his life. No matter how much they want to have both worlds, one just have to give. Takeshi-kun's one of those people." The way Yuuri talked was so solemn, as if he was telling a sad story of the old. "He could not have both so he chose the one that would bring him the most happiness he could have in his life, more than what playing baseball for living could bring to him." 

Yuuri looked up to Viktor and smiled. "He chose his _famiglia_."

Oh, dear, there Yuuri goes again. Saying words with inflection, as if he is saying something important that Viktor should really take note of. "Family?" Viktor translated.

"Yes," Yuuri smiled. "Family."

Viktor bit his lips and smiled cheekily. "Am I family, Yuuri?"

Yuuri raised his hand and cupped Viktor's cheek. Viktor can't help but lean into his touch. "You already are, _tesoro_." 

Viktor's heart swelled. He knows that this is one of those many cryptic things that Yuuri say to him that talk about one thing and mean something way different all together, but. 

But even if Viktor doesn't really understand them, he can understand that Yuuri loves him truly. And that? That's more than enough for Viktor right now. 

They stayed like that, sweetly in their own world, explosion sounds ringing loudly in the background.


End file.
